Shaft Spline Information

Depending on the type of spline you're defining, there are different characteristics that you'll need to identify the spline to either a machinist or to the customer who will need to design the mating part. Some of them are pretty straightforward and will be needed regardless of the type of spline, such as physical diameters (major and minor), number of teeth, the class of fit and spline shape (involute, flat, etc.)

For the most basic splines I work with, we can define it with only a major and minor diameter, the number of teeth, and the distance between two parallel tooth edges, because it's a flat side spline. However, something like an involute spline requires more information, such as a pitch diameter, pressure angel, effective tooth width, and distance between pins of a given size. This is because the complex shape makes it impossible to directly measure the spline geometry in a meaningful way, so we require both design dimensions and measurable dimensions. The spline table below is an example for an involute spline - the dimensions listed fully define the spline and allow us to measure it for quality purposes. I would include a table like this on any spline machining print so that you have the information readily available.

If you are using a standard spline, such as a spline defined by ANSI B92.1, you could refer to it on a customer print as just the ANSI standard spline with only the information necessary to locate it in the standards table (should be pressure angle, class of fit, and either number of teeth or pitch diameter.) Then the standard will provide all other information, or the methods to calculate the information necessary to manufacture the spline.